Kochi: The Congress party has alleged 'criminal negligence' on the part of the state police in the abduction and murder of a five-year-old Bihari girl in Aluva.
Leader of Opposition, VD Satheesan, has criticised the police for failing to find the girl even though she was in Aluva.
"The police did not conduct any serious inquiry even after they could identify the abductor from CCTV visuals. The police did not show the due vigilance they should have shown while probing the case of a child's abduction. Those who deploy thousand police personnel when the chief minister visits a district should have deployed all the force under Aluva rural when such a case was reported. The police did not check the isolated places in a small town like Aluva," the Congress leader said.
Giving a political twist to the incident, Satheesan invoked the Jisha murder of 2015 to corner the CPM-led Left government over the incident.
"Those who carried out election campaign over the Jisha murder are ruling the state now. However, murders and atrocities against women and children are on the rise. The police do not have time to address these. They are trying to register cases against microphone and mic operator and frame opposition leaders in false cases. The police are being misused for political gains," he said.
He said the government's failure to rein in liquor and drug abuse were behind the rising criminal cases. “When such incidents are repeated, people are concerned over who would protect their lives and properties,” he said.
Police inaction evident: Sudhakaran
Kerala Pradesh Congress Committee president K Sudhakaran also alleged that the police did not show due diligence in probing the case. "There is no dispute over the fact that there was a delay in police action even after they found CCTV visuals of the accused taking the girl with him. Crucial hours were lost due to inaction. The home department can't washes its hands of the brutal murder of the little girl," Sudhakaran said.
He said the government should apologise to the family, which came to Kerala seeking a means of living, and offer them deserving compensation.
The police on Saturday found the body of the five-year-old girl, almost 20 hours after she went missing on Friday.
The body was found by daily wagers at the Aluva market near the Periyar river in an abandoned sack. The police on Friday night arrested Asfaq Alam, another migrant labourer, for abducting the child. On Saturday, he confessed to killing her. The police later confirmed that the girl was raped.
The girl was the second of the four children of Ramdhar Tiwari from Bishampur in Bihar, was staying at a building named Mukkath Plaza near Thaykkattukara railway gate. Asfaq started living in the building two days ago.
Cops acted fast: DIG
Central DIG A Srinivas on Saturday said the police had started investigation as soon as they received the missing complaint.
"A complaint was registered at Aluva East station yesterday evening. The procedures of investigation were started as soon as the complaint was received. Statements of several eye witnesses were recorded and CCTV visuals examined. The person who was found in the CCTV visuals was traced at the night itself. He tried to mislead the police and the SP himself interrogated him. The accused confessed to the crime in the morning," he said.